Hellgate: London – London 2038 Development Update #25

Ahead of a new big patch for Hellgate: London’s London 2038 multiplayer mod, we get this here development update that lists some features the mod’s developers plan to introduce in the near future and briefly talks about the upcoming unofficial expansion for the game.

Check it out:

Hello, hello!

Great timing this time, or so I hoped, as this diary entry would normally come right after our latest patch release. But well, we’re stuck on a final blocker that prevented that. There also won’t be pre-release patch notes this time, so all I have for the imminent release is what I’ve shared before 3.

Still, there’s stuff to go over this time too. So, without much ado, let’s dive right into your pre-patch feedback, and of course the future.

Salutations

First and foremost, here I’d like to personally thank those guilds and players who provided ample feedback since 1.5.7. So For The Living, Die Letzte Bastion, Aladinf, Becha, Sniffum, Kole3315, Qrdez, Violet-n-Red, Sterling, and everyone else who took the time to fill public channels and our inboxes with valuable information, we salute you.

Chances are decent I’m missing a few contributors here. If so, my deepest apologies – not only has this been a pressing patch cycle, but I’ve also been sick for the better part of the week. You know who you are, and you know you’re legends.

Yes, no, and maybe

Now, on to what exactly we’ve been given to work with. This section is necessary because we couldn’t act on everything we got this time, so I think it’s necessary to clarify where we stand on some specific issues. Hence the title, yes.

In no particular order, here are the “yes” ones; the most common issues we haven’t addressed that will most likely be acted on:

• Solo-friendly content. Poor timing given the upcoming expansion, but yes, this is always on the table.
• More endgame content. On the way as we speak, brave survivors.
• Weapon balance revamps. An absolute yes, we’re only waiting for more data to do so – and wanted to keep 1.5.8 clean.
• More skills, skill changes, skill synergies. Yes, yes, and yes. Same as above, those are always on the table.
• More fixes of all kinds. Absolutely, the never-ending task of fixes never leaves the table. The only exception will be fixes to specific “convenience” …practices, which we will discuss at length with you before addressing.

The maybes, then, are issues we’re either undecided on or are waiting for more data on. These are:

• Evoker performance. It’s no secret that this issue is quite thorned; we can’t just switch it back on again, but it seems that many find its current place less than great too. Before addressing it again, we will likely need to provide the class with a healthier context to find the golden middle ground with it – that being between being highly desirable and not breaking the game.
• Drop rates. This has not left the table either. We’re fairly confident they’re closer to our intended goals than not, but they’re still being monitored.
• Event difficulty. This too remains on the table. We do mostly like where it’s landed with1.5.8’s adjustments, bringing it down to human levels, but perfecting those new baddies before leaving them alone is only logical. So this part of course we’ll be looking out for feedback on.

Now, the part that will likely disappoint at least some of our dear readers. The following are recurring points that, unless convinced otherwise, we will most likely not be acting on in the near future:

• AB densities. This we’ve tested extensively ourselves, and have concluded ABs are fine as they are. The density reduction is indeed 25% with only natural variations, and we believe it still leaves them highly desirable across the game. That’s not to be mistaken with Champion densities, which I do believe might make it on the table again.
• Event subboss availability. This point is combining the subboss sources being Hidden Passageways and Catacombs no longer spawning Passageways 100% of the time – these we also still stand by. The former intends to make HPs uniquely valuable, and the latter to prevent “double dips” as players would farm Abyss bosses, gold, and subbosses all at once. We do understand the convenience, but that doesn’t align with the event’s intended form.
• Event fees. This one too we’re fairly confident in, as the event is meant to be strictly party content. The requirement of 100 fragments both promotes party play and pooling resources, and keeps them valuable for solo-minded players to sell them.

That’s not to say those are set in stone forever, of course, but only that this is where we currently stand. If you strongly disagree, please continue to bring up your arguments and data; your feedback is always valuable, even if not all wishes are granted.

If you feel I’ve missed any noteworthy subjects here, please let me know below and I’ll update the list accordingly.

Patching my way downtown

…sorry.

So after that down note, let’s conclude with promises of a brighter future. Despite all the work the last few months required, the coming expansion has been progressing as well. So, what have we got?

• The plot. After months of what surely was too much work for lines flying by, the plot is finally finished. Barring final team-wide polish, this story has been written.
• Most of the enemies. Some are not fully dressed yet, and some need to hit the library. But most of the enemies you will face are now in or on their way to London.
• A clear path ahead. Finally, we have a clear path to implementation that should make the process much, much easier than before. All the challenges with John Milton Passage 1, Australia 1, the Emissaries 1, and more will pay off here – and a new tool to help us do so is underway too. Thanks Marc!

I can’t provide a release date, sadly, nor even estimates. Doing so hasn’t gone well in the past, and I’d rather not make promises our small team will struggle to meet. The best I can do at the moment is “within the year”, leaving fortunate circumstances to pleasantly surprise you should they emerge.

Voices?

Still not a Disturbed reference.

Finally, on the subject of the expansion, I’m pleased to share that Psyona has found some excellent voices for some of our new characters. That definitely doesn’t mean all our needs are covered, however, so we will love any and all community contributions on this front.

To make both your and our jobs easier, we will be making a standalone announcement on this soon-ish. In it, we’ll explain the spoiler-free basics required of each character and any secondary information you might need, and the rest will be left up to your creativity.

If this interests you, please let us know. There will be ample more characters to come, so every contribution will likely find its proper home.

FIN

And there you have it, barely over 1k this time.

My thanks, once again, to everyone who helped this patch shape up. I hope you found this entry informative, and that you’ll all enjoy what 1.5.8 brings. As for us, “back to work then”, quoth the Holloway.

All the best :slight_smile: